This bar graph, depicting the obesity rate of each state and territory in the United States, is very revealing when trying to learn about obesity trends or information. First, it allows us to understand that there is not a huge gap or difference between the states or territories with the highest obesity rates and those on the lower end. The state with the highest rate, Louisiana, has an obesity rate of 36.2%. On the other end of the graph, Colorado holds the lowest value of 20.2%. Therefore, there is a 16% gap between the two ends of the spectrum. Across all 50 states and two territories, this means that the average difference is 0.307% from one state or territory to another. The obesity rate graph depicted is also helpful in order to understand the average obesity rate, and which state or territory is closest to this value. The mean obesity rate for the United States comes out as 29.28%. This knowledge can be applied to the bar graph and compared the states and territories. It is revealed that the state of Virginia is closest to the mean obesity, with a respective rate of 29.2%. While this state closely aligns with the mean, it is the 23rd lowest state or territory in the country. The final observation that can be made from the pictured bar graph is that there is more overlap between states on the higher end of the spectrum than those on the lower end. Prior to the “mean” of Virginia, there are no pairs of states that have a common obesity rate. However, after this point, there are ten states that have similar values, making five pairs. On top of these duos, West Virginia, Mississippi, and Alabama make a trio with rates of 35.6%. Therefore, it becomes apparent that there are more commonalities as the obesity rates rise in the United States than there are on the lower ends.
This choropleth provides insightful information regarding the obesity rates by state and territory in the United States. First, it allows us to see how obesity rates vary among regions in the United States. For example, the southeastern corner of America, particularly Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, have higher obesity rates compared to other regions. In fact, these three states have the highest obesity rates in the entire country. The high obesity of this region is put into further context after observing other regions, such as the Northeast. The states that make up this corner, such as Massachusetts, Vermont, and Connecticut, are among the lowest obesity rates in the country. Another observation that can be made is that there are no states or territories that are especially low when it comes to their respective obesity rate, or even especially high. As the spectrum indicates, a darker blue to purple would represent an obesity rate of 10% or lower. On the other end, a bright yellow depicts an obesity rate of roughly 37% or higher. However, after looking at the choropleth, it is apparent that neither of those extremes are present in the United States. Every state or territory remains within the 20%-36.5% range. This is represented by a rather evenly-distributed choropleth, where no state or territory particularly stands out from the rest. A third insight from the pictured choropleth is that the coastal states, both in the East and West, have a lower average obesity rate than the Midwest and various land-locked states. For example, the states on the west coast (Washington, Oregon, California, and Arizona) have an average obesity rate of 27.3%. This compares to some states in the Midwest (Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Illinois), who have an average of 32.1%. This insight is confirmed after comparing the Midwest to the east coast, whose states (South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey) have a moderate obesity rate of 29.2%. Therefore, it becomes apparent that the Midwest and the more land-locked states have higher obesity rates on average than the rest of the country.